Kralich
Dual element Erthus of Reflections, a prominent revisionist in the Imperian Confederacy, and a living legend among his peers. History Early life Kralich was born some time before Tyranis found the Kravarius as the son of a father Erthus of Fire and mother Erthus of Light. His mother died in childbirth, as is the risk of dual-element couples, and his father was bitter over this and for much of Kralich's life blamed him for her death (the two would later reconcile, but the scars left over would heal much slower). He came to resent this bitterness and worked that much harder in education for it. He was bullied regularly for his dual-elemental parentage and his teachers would often single him out and give him the dirtiest jobs to perform. He attempted to persevere and stayed with it in his late matron's memory. However, he found that he lacked the capability to be a scientist like his mother, and he believed that he was not worthy of becoming a Erthus. For some time, Kralich drifted from place to place on various spacecraft around the Confederacy with his father, who was a guard for merchants. Kralich found great difficulty in procuring assistance with his situation as segregation laws on dual-element Imperians worked to his disadvantage. Eventually, he ran away from his father and stowed away on a garbage scow. When he was found, the owner forced Kralich into servitude until he had paid off his debt, without realizing that the owner of the scow was a dishonorably discharged Kilaro. This Kilaro explained, over time, that he had been removed from the Confederacy as he had advocated for rights for dual-element beings. When Kralich inquired, the Kilaro revealed that every member of the ship was a dual-element Imperian, including himself, although he joked that had Ignithitus known that as well, he probably would have been executed. This Kilaro taught Kralich what he knew of dual-element usage whilst the latter was aboard the scow. However, after some time, Kralich had worked off his boarding fee. He attempted to bargain with the Kilaro to allow him to remain aboard, eventually even threatening him desperately, but the Kilaro brushed him off, saying there wasn't anything new he could teach him, and that he had to "shine his own way". Kralich left the scow with some spare currency, and landed on Molikonglia, where he spent an unknown amount of cycles fending for himself against the tribal clans. He even met Bartherious, who gave him shelter in return for telling him what he knew about the Confederacy's weaknesses. Kralich, at this time, resented the Confederacy for their treatment of his kind, but would later blame the deaths that resulted from the exchange on himself. He boarded a transport off of Molikonglia and gradually made his way back to Magnus Imperus. When he arrived, he was not permitted to enter the capital as a consequence of being a dual-element Imperian. Greatly displeased and significantly more stubborn than he had been when he left, he demanded to see his father. The guard was not co-operative, and, upon a comment saying how his mother was a mongrel for breeding outside of her element, Kralich flew into a rage and attacked the Makori border guard, injuring him severely. Kralich was detained and sentenced to fifty cycles of hard labor. Whilst imprisoned, he was visited by his father, and it is at this time the two began to reconcile, with his father realizing his hard treatment of Kralich was what had landed him in his current situation. Kralich graciously accepted his apology, but did not speak with his father until after he had served his time. Imprisonment Kralich was critically wounded when a prison gang assaulted him due to his dual-element nature. He recovered in the infirmary, and it is there he met Talia, and their destinies from that point were intertwined. When he left the infirmary, he sought out the prison inmates and delivered a crushing speech on how, even being born from illegitimate means, he was worth more than the inmates ever would be. He declared that he would resist any and all attempts at demoralizing or inspiring fear in him, and that he would go on to become a legend in the Confederacy, and a force for change. He then began planning an escape from the prison in order to begin putting his plans into motion. He needed to recruit members for his escape, and began searching. Although he never confirmed for certain, it is believed he deliberately went looking for others with dual elements. He first met Xeyiole, possessing the elements of Air and Iron. He was almost the same age as Kralich, and had been imprisoned for conning several upper-class nobles of their currency and redistributing them amongst the poor neighborhood he lived in. The two hit it off quickly, and Xeyiole, being imprisoned for twenty cycles, was more than happy to try and find a quicker way out. He recommended a friend whom Kralich instantly recognized as one of his few friends from school-Froststellan, who had mostly Ice elemental energy with heavily controlled Iron powers to hide his status. The two exchanged courtesies before Kralich brought up the subject. Whilst he was hesitant to commit either way at first, he decided that working as an unpaid prison guard for experience wasn't worth the hassle, and agreed to help Kralich. Next, Kralich sought after someone tough enough to keep the other inmates away from their operations and intimidate guards into keeping their distance, too. Frostellan said he had seen a particularly burly and rather moody man who often sat alone in his cell. The three approached him, and were quickly told to leave. Believing him to be a lost cause, Kralich and Frostellan moved on to find other candidates for their prison break, but Xeyiole stayed and attempted to convince the convict to assist him. He learned the convict's name to be Driacus, a dual-elemental of Earth and Stone, and that he had been imprisoned as, in his city, homosexuality was punishable by hard labor. Xeyiole confessed he, too, experienced similar feelings, and although the two did not hit it off as quickly as Xeyiole and Kralich had, Driacus agreed to help. Encouraged by this, Kralich worked on acquiring a veteran inmate who possessed more knowledge of the operations of the place. He found Kel'Thuzain, a rare tri-elemental of earth, air, and shadow, a man who had been imprisoned for practicing illegal sorcery and attempted necromancy. The experience chilled the younger man, who was barely a teenager by Imperian terms, although Kel'Thuzain (whom Frostellan nicknamed 'Kel') agreed to help, on the condition that they supply him with three bodies from the morgue to experiment on when they escaped. Kralich agreed, and tasked Frostellan with retrieving the bodies. Finally, Kralich needed an insider, not just one working for experience like Frostellan, in order to help fuel their escape plans. He had Xeyiole stab his arm with a sharp wire, meaning Kralich had to be rushed off to the infirmary, and used his time to convince Talia to aid them. She initially refused, but after hearing Kralich's intent and reasoning (as she, herself, was a hybrid of Water and Fire), she agreed to help. The two began bonding as he regularly made his way to the infirmary to plan with her, and by the time their plans had been laid, the two entered into a romantic relationship. With the dates set, the group began their escape plans, and made it away from the prison before anyone had realized they were gone. The six decided to remain together for now, as they all shared a common cause-the improvement of rights for more than single-element beings. Talia and Kralich improved their relationship, becoming more intimate in nature, and Xeyiole and Driacus agreed to 'experiment' with their feelings in order to learn more about what made themselves who they were. Kel simply spent most of the time away from the group, experimenting on what dead material he could get his hands on, and Frostellan often accompanied Talia and Kralich, as was the custom for young couples. Transformation into an Erthus When Kralich and his five compatriots escaped the prison, they then needed to find transport off-world in order to set up operations elsewhere. They navigated to the nearest pirate spaceport and attempted to bargain their way onto a vessel. However, before they could finish negotiations with one captain, the spaceport went on full alert as members of the Apex Conglomeration approached, intending to hire mercenaries. The Diabolith sensed the presence of Kel'Thuzain, whose power gave him a similar air to an Erthus, and they ransacked the outpost looking for him Eventually, they found Kel'Thuzain and the rest of Kralich's group and intended to take the six of them prisoner. Kel'Thuzain bargained for his life and tricked the Diabolith into turning their backs on him, where he quickly killed one of the three. The other two then made a move towards the group of Makori, but Kralich, realizing the life or death situation, released an outburst of light and fire elemental energy, which prompted the other Matoran to do the same, and Kel'Thuzain sealed their destruction by unleashing his latent elemental capabilities. The Makuta were utterly decimated by the sheer onslaught of elemental energy. Having experienced elemental transcendence for the first time, the six felt charged, and Kel'Thuzain told them that if they were to find appropriate armor and tools quickly, the six of them could ascend to become Erthus. They frantically searched amongst the ruins of the pirate outpost, when Kralich stumbled upon a canister of black market armor. The six donned the armor, and with a flash of light, the six became Erthus. Xeyiole is reported to have commented, "Who would have thought certain death could make our dreams come true?" The six stole a pirate freighter and returned to Magnus Imperus, where, due to the beginning of Tyranis' conquest, they were pardoned of their crimes, on the condition they would risk life and limb in the line of duty for the Imperian Confederacy. Kralich convinced them it was the best way to change opinions about dual-element Imperians, and so the six were christened the Erthus Gripas-in Imperian, meaning "Knight Hybrids". Erthus Gripas The first order of business for the team was to elect a leader. Frostellan volunteered, citing his experience at controlling inmates in the prison, as did Xeyiole, as he believed his charisma would make leading the team easier. Talia, however, convinced the group to elect Kralich to lead, as without him, the six would have never been brought together in the first place, and it was he who was destined to change the course of history for dual-element Imperians. After a short debate, Kel'Thuzain grudgingly conceded and voted for Kralich. The six had their first assignment on Molikonglia, where Kralich's previous contact with Bartherious was thought to be an advantage in negotiations with the Molikong people. However, without Bartherious present, Kralich found the Molikong Khanate had resorted to infighting. He did his best to negotiate an end to the conflict, but failed to achieve any sort of consensus. However, the largest intact Molikong clan agreed not to wage hostilities against the Confederacy on the condition that, following the war, they would be given supplies. Kralich agreed he would get them supplies following the war, and with this small guarantee of peace, Kralich was commended by the Primis Council-the first time such a commendation has been given to a dual-element Imperian. Meanwhile, the Erthus Gripas took part in many petty skirmishes with the Diabolith’s forces, and often found they had to rely on themselves and few others as the Confederacy at large was loathe to help the only officially supported dual-element Erthus team. The Gripas, regardless, managed to defend a whole world from Diabolith onslaught for a few hours whilst civilians were evacuated. They found that their armor, whilst previously used only as a tool to fuel their growth, had been a knockoff based on prototype armor made by Acridius himself. It magnified their elemental capabilities threefold, meaning each of them were easily capable of holding off a Diabolith alone. When the some ten thousand Makori found their way off-world, the Erthus Gripas went with them, and witnessed the planet cracker which Tyranis had access to. They made haste to Spherus Magna, where they briefed the Primis Council on the planet cracker. Realizing their worth and capability, Silvarus voted for the six to be made an endorsed Toa team, like the Erthus Titan. Ignithitus was vehemently opposed to the idea, and attempted to confiscate the adaptive armor. However, a chance attack by the Conglomeration prevented the occasion, and the actions of Kralich and Driacus saved Ignithitus' life from a bolt of shadow. Following that engagement, he hesitantly agreed, on the condition that should they fail, the Gripas would be stripped of their titles and returned to imprisonment. Kralich agreed, and was bestowed a replica Luxaus to denote his status. The Gripas led the fight in many theatres of war against the Apex Conglomeration, and each of them was said to have personally defeated ten Diabolith. Across the Confederacy, they amassed a fierce reputation for only enlisting dual-element or above beings from across the worlds of the Confederacy. Their army was highly trained and specialized, with their mastery over their dual elements giving them a colossal advantage over their Diabolith adversaries. Kralich's well-known battle cry, "Light unto darkness", was echoed throughout the Confederacy in times of need. However, despite their best efforts, the Diabolith still pushed slowly but surely into Confederacy space. It is at this time Kralich learned Bartherious had attacked his home village and killed his father using the weaknesses Kralich had originally given to him. Overwhelmed with grief, Kralich left the group. His Luxaus turned silver, representing his loss of prestige, and he spent some time away from his team and the conflict. When Ignithitus called for every available Toa to make their last stand at Midnight Ridge, Kralich had a vision of his father convincing him to go. He arrived just as Tyranis was to eradicate the Gripas, and released a Light Nova which pushed Tyranis back. He then fought directly alongside Ignithitus to distract and defeat Tyranis. At the forefront of the engagement, the Toa Gripas absorbed some of the elemental energy which was exhumed by Tyranis following his defeat. The six became very powerful, and although not to the tune of the Primis Major or the Titan, they became some of the principal peacekeepers in the Confederacy. Darkest Dimension One day, the six were on a border patrol mission when they received a distress call from a nearby colony. Kralich immediately mobilised to render aid and the six made planet fall. When they arrived, they found the colony in ruins, and odd gravitational and dimensional anomalies littered the planet. Kralich made the move to retreat and call for support, but their vessel was destroyed before their eyes. When they turned back, they stood face to face with the Demonkin, the most powerful being to ever arrive in their universe or most others. Completely unknowing of whom the being in front of them was, Kralich and his compatriots mustered themselves for combat. The Demonkin did not so much as flinch from their combined elemental might, and instead raised a hundred thousand dead Makori for them to fight. The conflict was taxing for the six, being forced to kill those same villagers they had once sworn to protect, but after almost two deci-cycles of constant fighting, they had defeated the Demonkin's army. Kralich personally challenged the Demonkin, to which he simply laughed. Enraged at the arrogance of the being in front of him, Kralich made a move to attack him, but with a flick of the Demonkin's wrist, was projected into orbit, and then brought thundering back down, with only the emergency systems of the armor keeping him from dying. The armor itself malfunctioned and broke, where even Tyranis' power could not have achieved such a feat, and Kralich was forced to watch, immobilized, as the Demonkin inflicted a manner of evils upon his team. Kel'Thuzain was, at first, simply killed, but the Demonkin raised him again with full sentience and corrupted his mind to serve as his chief necromancer. Xeyiole was mutated into a mostly serpentine creature who lacked much mental capability, Driacus was mutated and ascended to a Great Being of War but was driven insane by the experience and, being a Great Being, was now trapped in the Realm of Might, and Frostellan was utterly eradicated as the Demonkin saw no reason to keep him. Talia and Kralich were both abducted by the Demonkin and brought to the Darkest Dimension, where Kralich (Darkest Dimension) ruled the universe with an iron fist as one of the Demonkin's Triumvirate. Talia was brainwashed to swear utter fealty to Kralich's dark counterpart, and Kralich himself almost fared the same. However, the Demonkin decided that in order to crush Kralich's spirit entirely, he would release him back to his dimension, under the mental guise that the Demonkin had destroyed the Imperian Confederacy altogether, several thousand light years away from his home world and on a little known and inhabited world far away which did not possess the capability to send Kralich home. Kralich would later find out that the reason for the Demonkin's attempts at breaking him was that he foresaw Kralich's son being involved in his defeat. What he did not foresee was that the children were not necessarily his and Talia's. Landfall on Earth Kralich was deposited on the far off world of Earth, in the Sol system. A race of beings who had not even achieved inter-planetary space exploration yet inhabited the system, named Humans. They were generally smaller than Kralich who, as a Imperian, was some seven feet tall, and, in addition to his grey skin compared to their pale or melanin-infused skin, meant he feared begin questioned and imprisoned. However, he found that Earth had no shortage of meta-beings, having been visited by nearby alien species multiple times and possessing a natural meta-gene which one in every million humans gained access to in some form. Kralich spent some time on the world, adopting their time frame of a year (which is roughly equal to one and a tenth cycles). He would spend time attempting to find a way off the world, but was unsuccessful, instead finding Earth really was a world not yet possessing of the capabilities of space flight to the extent he required. In utter despair at the situation, he contemplated suicide and eventually opted to forego his Luxaus and leap from a cliff. He was, however, interrupted by a young woman who was travelling nearby on a vehicle, who convinced him to come with her. She was attempting to form a team of young meta-beings who would attempt to dispense their own brand of justice and raise the profile of younger meta-beings. She identified herself as Riley, and Kralich took her up on her offer, seeing it very similar to his intent to better the cause of dual-element Imperians. She took him back to their base of operations, which was an old, abandoned apartment complex re-purposed with training rooms and communications technology. Much of this was obtained on Riley's or the others' free time, and as a consequence Kralich had some difficulty adjusting to their archaic design and capabilities. Nevertheless, the two worked for some time together, dealing with petty criminal threats in their area. Kralich spearheaded the search for the leader of an illegal weapons smuggling cartel and personally apprehended him. It took some time for Kralich to get used to the idea that he was not to kill the criminals but to imprison them. Some three or four human months in, Kralich found himself thinking more and more on Talia and his compatriots. Riley still did not know his origins, believing him to be a meta-human. He decided that if he ever intended to wreak vengeance on his dark counterpart, he would need alliances, and Riley's team of meta-humans would be a good start. He called a meeting with them and explained his origins, as well as his goal for the long term. The other members of the group were, at first, disbelieving of his origins, but they then declared they would not assist him against such a huge menace, and left the meeting. Riley remained and questioned Kralich in some more detail, and when she was convinced he was serious about his intentions, she agreed to remain with him. This was the start of a gradually growing feeling of romantic interest between the two. He promised Riley that, before they worked on his issue together, he would first help her track down the key villain in her city. They spent some weeks tracking their movements, and eventually it was found the villain was Riley's uncle. His use of mental control enabled him to stun Riley and make her mentally unable to comprehend attacking him. However, her uncle was unprepared for Kralich's superior training, and the two dueled. Kralich was a far better swordsman and disarmed the uncle. He was about to execute him, but Riley pleaded with Kralich to let him go and apprehend him. Understanding this was his defining moment to Riley, Kralich gave the uncle mercy, and handed him over to the authorities. That night, Riley and Kralich shared time together in her quarters, marking the official beginning of their romantic relationship. Kralich taught Riley, over time, how to make her own armor. Kralich had re-forged and modified his adaptive armor to function reasonably effectively and even helped Riley create and use her very own enchanted helm. She learned enchantments relating to speed, believing it to be the one most likely to assist her acrobatic tendencies, and painted it red to fit in with her former uniform. She donned it, and Kralich did a mock duel with her to test her abilities. Although he defeated her, she had learned to use her helm in combat for the first time, and enjoyed the experience. Following this, Kralich began experiencing mental and physical struggles which he believed were tied to his darker counterpart. Believing this to be the bait he needed to draw him out, Kralich openly allowed these struggles to continue. Around two weeks after they began, Kralich found an inter-dimensional portal had opened in his and Riley's room. Not wishing to put her at greater harm, he wrote a note and stepped forth into the portal. Return to the Darkest Dimension Kralich arrived in the run-down and slum-filled capital of Magnus Imperus in the Darkest Dimension. He was unsure what to do when he arrived, but found that Riley had followed him before the portal closed. A brief argument ensued, the end of which came about when Kralich conceded that as Riley were now here with him, the two may as well stay together. Kralich adopted the alias Hichrak in order to avoid drawing attention to himself, but quickly found that the local populace were, for some reason, terrified of him and Riley. After some asking around, he found out the Erthus in this universe were not peacekeepers, but peace''makers'', brutalizing and oppressing the local population in to obeying their King's regime. The two eventually found their way to a den of bandits, where the old retired guard of the King's forces often frequented for drink. Kralich questioned the man and found he had only served his counterpart because his wife was being held hostage. When his wife was executed anyway, the King released the guard with a pitiful pension which he mostly drank away. Kralich revealed his identity and, with some effort, convinced the retired guard to smuggle him and Riley into the castle. Once there, Kralich felt as if he'd know what to do, although where this feeling came from and why he wasn't sure. Kralich and Riley were intercepted by a group of guards led by an enslaved Diabolith, but they managed to defeat them and moved on to the castle. Bolstered by the love of his partner beside him, Kralich and Riley fought their way up to the King's throne room. They reached the door, where his counterpart's son, Karcharin. Naming himself as the Black Enforcer, he put up a significant fight, but Kralich convinced him his father was a tyrant who needed to be stopped. Karcharin said he would evacuate the prisoners and slaves currently in the castle, and told him to put an end to his father for the sake of the universe. Kralich assured him he would. However, when Kralich entered the throne room, he was immediately struck by the image of Talia, who was distressed at his arrival with Riley. Believing her to be dead, Kralich lost his composure and stepped towards her, where he was suddenly hit with a hammer blow by his darker counterpart. His elemental power nowhere near matching his counterpart's, Kralich was defeated, his sword broken, and Riley was indoctrinated in front of his eyes to swear unwavering love and loyalty to the God King, as he proclaimed himself. Totally defeated and at a loss, Kralich surrendered, and he was imprisoned in the dungeons of the castle, intending to be left there for the rest of his days. Kralich spent four human years locked away in the dungeons, fed on scraps and whatever he could scavenge from his hard labor. He was utterly hopeless and believed himself to be a failure. However, one night, he heard a faint whispering from the wall next to his cell, and opted to attempt to find the source. Over the next few weeks, he would use sharp pieces of rock from his hard labor to chip a small hole in the wall with which to see through. When he reached the other side, the wall burst open, revealing a golden Luxaus with the spirits of his former team members of this dimension circling it. They told him how his counterpart had locked away his original Luxaus and forged his own twisted version of the helm, locking the spirits of his former friends with it. Kralich took the helm and donned it, transforming back into an Erthus, with his armor fully restored and his elemental powers boosted five-fold by the abilities of his newfound friends. Bolstered by their companionship, he easily worked his way up to the God King's chamber, when Karcharin, now indoctrinated to his father, impeded his progress. Knowing that he could not save Karcharin, he fought and killed them, promising to make good on his vow of almost five years prior. He took Karcharin's sword and infused it with the powers he had been given, christening it the Claw of Adrenagon, after his father’s name. He arrived in the throne room with light shining from his armor. Servants huddled and staggered away from his bright visage, and he called out to his counterpart to once again challenge him in combat. The God King appeared, flourishing his Eternity Sword, and met the challenge. It is unknown for how long they dueled, but their titanic struggle and elemental outbursts were said to have been visible by those servants below. Midway, Riley regained her former self, having been forced to watch the ordeal, and picked up a weapon to fight alongside Kralich. She absorbed some of the elemental energy from the ordeal, allowing her to resist his counterpart's attacks, and together, they disarmed and defeated the God King. Kralich smashed the Eternity Sword, releasing the absorbed spirits of thousands of innocents, and left his counterpart to die in the crumbling castle. Talia was released from his counterpart's control, but she was too physically dependent on his power and turned to dust after saying a tearful goodbye. Riley and Kralich were critically wounded, and he died. However, the spirits of his five team member's counterparts used all of their energy to revive him. Kralich then gave up his element of fire to revive Riley as well-essentially turning them both into single-element beings and giving her control over the element of fire, and gaining a measure of Kralich's lifespan, effectively turning her into an Imperian. A portal opened which led back to their universe, and the two entered into an uncertain future with an uncertain purpose, but they were happy, and Kralich was free at last. Return to the Confederacy When Riley and Kralich returned to their universe, they found themselves in the Primis Council chambers in Magnus Imperus' capital. He was instantly recognized and his return was celebrated. In a series of public interviews, Kralich recounted his adventures, and sought out his counterparts in this universe. Using his newfound knowledge of the workings of the Demonkin's power, he managed to transform Driacus and Xeyiole back to their former selves, where they held a funeral for the deaths of Talia and Frostellan, and where Kralich also vowed to find and free Kel'Thuzain from the Demonkin's control. Xeyiole went off to help a colony on the borders of Spherian space, whilst Driacus accompanied him, and the two adopted an orphaned Makori to raise. Kralich and Riley traveled the Confederacy for some time, with Kralich intending to show her the wonders of his universe, and the two married whilst observing a supernova in a far corner of the galaxy. They spent some time working together on their powers, with Kralich needing time to get used to his reduced elemental capabilities and Riley needing time to access her new elemental powers. They eventually settled down in the capital, in a house provided to them by the Primis Council for their work in defending the Confederacy. Kralich was offered to become a Kilaro. However, he decided he would rather remain as a Erthus alongside Riley than become something she would not understand. The two had two children-Tarzal, who was named for Kralich's mother (as her name was unisex), and Argus, named for the alias of Riley's father. Argus inherited much of Kralich's more hot-blooded temperament, whilst Tarzal was more like his mother. With times changing in the Confederacy with the defeat of Tyranis and as the Apex Dozen were not yet in full action, Kralich felt at peace. Family and Exile Kralich and Riley raised their sons as best as they could. Although they tried for a girl, they were unsuccessful, as the two had expended their elemental energy in creating Argus and Tarzal. The two were born as twins, and Tarzal often spoke of this with delight, whereas Argus spoke of this with disgust. Kralich, from the start, had difficulty getting through to Argus, as his hard nature and the favoritism he perceived in his parents towards Tarzal made him bitter. Kralich made every attempt to bridge the gap between his son and him, but Riley was more successful, and Argus came to rely on her heavily. Argus was still jealous of Tarzal, however, as he was much more popular, and one day attempted to murder his brother. Riley caught him and suffered great emotional pain, marking the start of her prolonged sickness. Kralich had Argus disciplined, blaming him and his lack of personal control for the occurrence, and it is at this time that Argus grew to hate his father altogether. After his disciplinary at a youth detention center, Argus and Kralich argued often, and Argus' hate for his brother was only compounded by the fact that Tarzal publicly forgave his brother-something Argus felt was undeserved and patronizing. Riley was gravely upset at the lack of proper relations between her children and their father, and her sickness only worsened. Kralich spent many sleepless nights tending to Riley's well-being, but it was in vain, as she died on Argus' sixteenth terran birthday (their family celebrated Spherian and Terran birthdays). For the first time, Argus, Kralich, and Tarzal were united in mourning their mother, but her death spurned a dark awakening in Argus. Following the funeral, Argus was contacted by the spirit of Tyranis in order to become his protégé and help him seize control from the Demonkin. Argus accepted, and was teleported away. Kralich later found out what had become of Argus, and whilst Tarzal became an Erthus in his mother's and father's honor, Argus continued to watch from the shadows, his hate multiplying. Kralich blamed himself for Argus' downfall and the death of Riley. With a lengthy goodbye to Tarzal and a message left to Argus, Kralich left the Imperian Confederacy, never to return. Travelling the Cosmos Kralich left the Confederacy behind, bestowing his Luxaus upon Tarzal and leaving him with faith that Tarzal would do his mother and father proud. He took Riley's body and sent it into the dying core of the sun that had gone supernova on their marriage night. He then resigned as an Erthus, and traveled the universe, solving petty evils and making a name for himself as a mysterious stranger who did good for the sake of it. All the while, he was ever vigilant as to signs of the Demonkin's return, and those who followed his tale predict he will return when the Confederacy needs him most. Tools and Abilities Makori As a Makori, his armor was white with gold accents, and his clothing usually followed a dull yellow. He had a staff which he used for practicing his abilities and later evolved it into a makeshift combat weapon. He had highly limited access to his light and fire powers, instead usually relying on his slight build and speed. Erthus As an Erthus, Kralich wore an Erthus-level enchanted helm which allowed him to access great speeds and outpace most enemies. He wielded good control over both his elements, although he didn't master them until later in his life. His armor magnified his abilities threefold and was highly resistant to nearly every form of damage. He wielded an upgraded version of his staff and used it to puncture the armor of enemies and spear them. He also used it as a focus for his elemental powers. When he was given a replica Luxaus, he light powers were massively supplemented and he managed to single-handedly defeat Diabolith. Darkest Dimension When he returned to the Darkest Dimension, he had mastered his elemental powers via intensive training in preparation for his combat with his dark counterpart. He had since lost his Luxaus, and instead used no mask at all. His powers were vastly increased by his interaction with the spirits of his team members' counterparts and used the Claw of Adrenagon, a very powerful artifact possessing immense light power. Kralich was capable, at this time, of releasing a Light and Fire Nova, although he chose not to. When he wore the replaced Luxaus, which was visually identical to his old helm, his light powers were supplemented once again. Exile Giving up his fire powers to save Riley, Kralich lost around half of his total elemental energy as a result, no longer placing him far above the average Erthus. He did, however, completely master the full depths of his light capabilities and found the true depths of his elemental strength. When he left his Luxaus behind, it had a minimal effect on him as he still maintained nigh-apex strength over the element of light regardless. Personality Before a Toa Kralich was aggressive as a child due to his poor, strained relationship with his father. He always resented how he was bullied and treated in schools for his dual-element nature, and his mother was a particularly touchy topic which would provoke him to physical violence very quickly. He was, however, very hard-working and idealistic, believing he could change the world and the Confederacy if he put his mind to it. Erthus of Reflections As an Erthus, Kralich was proud of his status and his position within which he could make a better name for his kind. He was loyal to his team and to his cause, and acted like a big brother to any of the younger Makori that he came across. He was also selfless in risking his life for others and established a name for himself as a staunch defender of the innocent. Earth Depressed as a consequence of losing Talia and (as he was led to believe) his home world, Kralich lacked much self-confidence and was often moody and dejected. However, as his and Riley's relationship flourished, he began to lighten up more and returned more to his former self. He took great happiness from his relationship with Riley, more than he had ever done from Talia's, and this was a cause for happiness for much of his life. Exile With the death of Riley, and the turning of Argus, Kralich was left dejected once again, but he remembered that Riley had told him he was a true hero in his darkest moments and that was his crutch to not lose his sense of honor and defense for the innocent. He was wizened to the tremors of everyday life and thus did not make the mistake of too much interference in matters not concerning him. Category:Magnus Imperus Category:Erthus Category:Erthus Gripas